Potassium is known to help lower blood pressure because it helps the body lose sodium through urine, which relieves tension in the blood vessels.
Like many cases, diet is one of the causes of high blood pressure. Specifically, eating too much salt is the main culprit.
But in the same way that diet can cause high blood pressure, it can also help treat it.
“There are many aspects of an unhealthy lifestyle that can have an effect on your blood pressure such as drinking too much alcohol or caffeinated beverages, being overweight, smoking, not exercising, and excessive salt intake,” explained Nutrigums registered dietitian Shona Wilkinson. And the lack of fruits and vegetables. There are several ways to lower high blood pressure without medication, for example eating foods that contain potassium, magnesium and vitamin B contribute to maintaining normal blood pressure.
She recommended eating bananas as a way to lower blood pressure because “bananas are not only nutritious, but they are also rich in potassium and full of fiber – something that reduces the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Potassium is a key mineral for lowering blood pressure and helps balance the amount of sodium in the body. “Today is not only a boost of energy, but it will also help maintain normal heart function. Potassium also helps your body maintain normal levels of fluids within our cells and aids in muscle and heart contractions, which keeps blood pumping throughout the body to vital organs.”
This was supported by a study published in the European Heart Journal this year. As part of the research, the team analyzed data from more than 24,000 people. Participants completed a questionnaire about their lifestyle habits, then had their blood pressure measured, and a urine sample was collected.
Urine sodium and potassium were used to estimate dietary intake; It found that among women there was a link between potassium consumption and blood pressure in women – the higher the potassium intake, the lower the blood pressure, however, this link was not made among men.
“The data suggests that women with a high sodium intake in particular benefit more from a higher potassium intake with respect to systolic blood pressure,” the study said.
Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: systolic pressure (the higher number) and diastolic pressure (lower). Systolic pressure is the force with which your heart pumps blood around your body, and diastolic pressure is the resistance to blood flow in your blood vessels.